


i got you (and you got me)

by hearmyvoice



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Generation Swap, Angst, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Family Fluff, Gen, Hatching, Single Parents, one swear word
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearmyvoice/pseuds/hearmyvoice
Summary: Huey Duck didnothave the remotest idea about being a father. But as long as the twins were in his care, he knew he would give the world for them.
Relationships: Della Duck & Donald Duck & Huey Duck, Della Duck & Huey Duck, Donald Duck & Huey Duck
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741990
Comments: 3
Kudos: 54
Collections: Bad Things Happen Bingo





	i got you (and you got me)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:  
> Cradling Someone in Their Arms.
> 
> Age Swap AU:  
> [@dellyduck](https://dellyduck.tumblr.com)/[@NinaFujisaki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinaFujisaki/pseuds/NinaFujisaki)

Huey never liked coffee. Thanks to his low tolerance for sugar, he had never been a fan of the sensation that the drink causes on his tongue, even if it was decaf. He had never understood what his brothers saw in the drink; but it was an alternative that he was already beginning to consider when looking at the calendar on his cellphone and feeling the gradual movement of the nesting eggs.

June 9.

It was already twins' hatching week, and the man did not feel that at any point he should even take a nap. He felt that the moment he closed his eyes the first _fracture_ would be heard; but he knew he needed it: he was not sure of the last time he had slept in a real bed, and he was aware of what the lack of sleep could do in his body, since childhood he had tried to make him and his brothers have a 8-hour sleep cycle, perfect for full development for their age.

But they were no longer children, and they were no longer a team. Now it was just him, the ever-responsible older brother and self-proclaimed adult of the group; if anyone could do this, it was Hubert Duck.

"Yes, you can do it Huey. You have traveled the world, discovered temples and faced the impossible for as long as you can remember. How hard can it be, right guys?” Smiling, he stroked one of the eggs under his tail feathers. He felt a warmth in his heart as he felt the movement of the baby inside it.

That didn't stop him from being nervous. The movement of both ducklings was becoming more constant and each second felt eternal.

"Now I understand how our parents felt when we were born." Huey smiled nervously, carefully rising from his position in the small makeshift nest, next to the bassinet where he normally let the twins rest, growling under his breath as he felt his muscles numb. “How come Mom could do this? How come _Dewey_ could do this?”

His beak had exhaled a nervous smile, squatting down so that his wings, trembling with exhaustion, could wrap the pair of shiny, freckled eggs in a pair of sheets, along with one that he had first brought to him. Anyone who saw him would think he was talking to himself, but he has read both in fatherhood books and in his faithful guidebook the importance of speaking with the eggs and that they become familiar with his voice.

"Don't worry kids, this is not against you," he allowed himself to clear up, looking up, his smile fading as his traitorous eyes focused on the kitchen window. The moonlight allowed the small dining room to have a silvery sheen that only made fun of him.

He sighed. He was lucky enough to find a small house in the Duckburg residential area to pass it by mourning for someone who was no longer there... at least not _physically_ , no matter how much it hurt to accept it.

He cautiously tucked the eggs, turning on the lamp on his nightstand to focus the bulb on them. The lights in the living room were on, of course, but he knew that the hatchlings needed enough heat to be born healthy.

"You're welcome," he laughed sadly when he felt a movement again. He liked to think that it was one of the siblings thanking him for the heat source. "Does it bother you if your uncle Huey is going to drink water? I will be close in case you need anything.”

As he spoke, his voice was reducing its volume, as if he wanted to recognize that the babies were resting in their shelters. He felt a sudden movement that caught him off guard, but none of the shells showed signs of wanting to crack, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"It seems that we will have an energy ball in this family," he spoke more to himself than to any of the young, placing small kisses on both eggs so that he could check that they were well settled with greater tranquility; twigs, herbs, and some leaves sheltered them, but as the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook says: a member of the troop is always ready.

But still, as he made his way to the kitchen with reluctant steps, Huey couldn't help but feeling _bad_ , because he knew it wasn't he who should be eyeing on the twins in their hatching week. Don't get it wrong, he _loved_ those ducklings from the moment his brother and his girlfriend — who he preferred not to keep thinking about — gave the news that they were waiting, his brother's gaze as bright as the stars. But what else could he do?

It was Dewey who willingly stepped on the Spear of Selene.

Louie had sided with the man who built the _fucking_ Spear of Selene that took their brother and the father of the twins who were days away from breaking the shell. Until now, he questioned what had prompted his brother to support Scrooge McDuck of all people, but he had always recognized that, despite being identical triplets, their perspectives were not identical.

Dewey was the one who should watch the eggs, not him. He was thinking with a bright gaze as he poured himself a glass of water, the sound of running water breaking into the silence that had loomed since he stopped talking to the twins. Dewey had to be the one to keep checking that they were both warm enough and Huey and Louie — and Scrooge — had to be the fun uncles who made sure everything was fine for the arrival of the two new family members, that they were both welcomed in a family, colorful atmosphere and _not_ a lonely, gloomy one.

"We should be in the mansion right now, not in this humble building big enough to hold three people. The six of us should be together as a family.” He drank the water in frustration. _This is not the time for a fit of anger, Hubert,_ it was recited. His beak had begun to wobble and his eyes burned, hot tears beginning to swirl in his bloodshot eyes.

What had gone wrong—? He had set the glass down hard on the counter, surprised when the thud of a thump ran through his eardrums. He knew that he had a certain strength for his camps and for his adventures, and added to his temperament it was not a good combination; but he had always been cautious with fragile objects. He was checking the glass in depth when he heard it again, and he could feel his shoulders stiffen.

It was a _creak._ This time, he was sure he had not caused it.

He swallowed and carefully put the glass down to make leaps and bounds towards the nest to actually see cracks begin to form in one of the shells. His fingertips drum against his knees as a small pink beak begins to peek out.

He focused the light bulb at a different angle so it didn't affect the sight of newborns.

"H-Hello, buddy." His voice falters, and he clears his throat nervously. “You can do it…”

An unconscious smile began to form on his lips, repeating words of encouragement over and over as the shell continued to break, a small webbed leg trying to make its way into one of the lower openings of the egg.

"Be careful," Huey whispered, approaching gingerly when the duckling tried to get out of its hiding place with the help of its egg tooth. “Need help?”

However, the duck was unable to continue concentrating on the egg when the other began to break, the sound melting his heart in a way that was not scientifically feasible, but emotionally probable.

The emotion with which the duckling kept breaking the egg, revealing more yellow feathers, did not compare to his. He didn't know the exact moment when he had started to bite his lower beak and his feathers had become ruffled.

“This is incredible. Dewey, Louie, Uncle Scrooge, you have to see—!” Pulling off his cap, he got up immediately, until he became aware of the situation in which he was weighing on his shoulders. He was alone, he must understand.

Still, it didn't hurt to wait for one of his brothers to knock on his door or call his phone, right?

He sighed heavily, at least until the chirping sound lit him up, literally.

The little duckling — it was the _girl,_ Huey realized — was looking around, becoming aware of the world that was welcoming her with narrowed eyes before the light sources that perpetuate her sight.

"Whoops! My bad, I'm sorry” and he turned off the light, letting the small lamp that pointed at the ground be his only torch.

That seemed to reassure the little duck, who was writhing between gurgles, and Huey allowed himself to laugh as he took his niece and her sheet. But when he was about to tuck her, he realized that the other shell had not yet broken and that the duckling inside was still struggling to get out.

He was _stuck._

"Oh no." His body tensed, and he knew the girl had felt it when she started squirming once more, this time uttering whimpers that further alerted Huey. “Okay, okay, I can handle this.”

He laid the baby down on the bassinet, but somehow she was able to sense that something was wrong with the way the figure of the older duck was moving with frenzy.

"You can do it, Hue, just remember to be careful with him, he's quite fragile," but Huey's hands trembled as they approached the cracked egg, and the violence with which he moved didn't help much. "Don't worry, the help is on the way, where— where is the JWG?!”

He didn't have it with him! He was never without his guidebook! His throat suddenly felt very dry and his hands had started to sweat.

"I need to find it soon, it's an emergency." Soon, his niece's sobs had begun to be heard in the room, and Huey's breathing became shallow. “I couldn't have dropped it, I would have noticed.”

But going through the living room, the dining room, the small recliner, places where he was most often since he moved with the stroller in tow. The Guidebook.

Simply.

_Didn’t._

Appeared.

He wanted to cry with her. He was about to burst into tears again. If he couldn't find the book soon, who knows what—

An angry duckling squawks accompanied his cries, stopping time for Hubert. His legs trembled, but he eventually managed to get up to watch a baby squirm in the nest, crying annoyed as he twisted both arms, his cheeks a soft carmine color as he threw punches into the air.

That allowed him to release the breath he knew was contained, and a nervous laugh to come out of his beak. This time, he made no effort to hold back the tears that soaked his feathers for the umpteenth time.

"It seems clear who inherited the temper of the family." Perhaps he had to be careful to remove the remains of the shell that seeped into his nephew's feathers, and his surprisingly frantic movements for someone his age did not make it easier. “I know, I hardly know you and I already feel that I will lose all my feathers.”

He carefully took the boy, the sound of his chirps making his heart pump calmly once more, settling him on his hip so he could get closer to the bassinet again — if he felt the baby calm down when he was barely aware of his voice, he kept quiet. There, his niece gazed at him tearfully as she clung to the Junior Woodchucks' guide, somehow having rid herself of the sheet around her. She gurgled, feeling less of the tension in the man in front of her and an indescribable happiness at seeing her playmate.

“How did this get here?” He carved his eyes with his free hand, swallowing heavily. If he had forgotten that at some point he left the guide there, he really must be exhausted.

He carefully took the guide from the duck's hands, warmly stroking one cheek with his knuckles. She squawked, and it had to be one of the most charming sounds he could have ever heard.

"Yes, I'm glad to see you too." His voice trembled, putting the small book on the nearest sofa so that, finally, he had his nephew and niece, in flesh and blood, on both hips; the boy yawned, exhausted after his tantrum as the girl watched him, a latent curiosity and joy. Both were so small that he could easily cradle one in each hand.

They both had his brother's eyes, and that immediately made them the most beautiful eyes on Earth.

Now was the perfect time for someone, whoever it was, to knock on his door saying that Dewey had found a way to get home, that the twins' hatching had somehow given the Spear of Selene enough energy to return to the mansion, eager to meet his children.

But Huey was a man of logic, and it was impossible for the rocket to recover after the energy overload that had been the cosmic storm.

Now those ducklings depended on _him_.

"Donald, Dumbella," he rocked the aforementioned duck in each hand, drawing their attention; he didn't know exactly why those names had crossed his mind. One of them struggled to stay awake more than the other, but the fact that they were already familiar with his voice felt so good and so bad at the same time, "maybe I'm not who you expected to see right now, but I want to promise you that I will try to fulfill that role for you, because you deserve only the best.”

Of course, he was referring to the caretaker role. He could never take on the role of father who clearly belonged to Dewey, and he knew he would have to make it clear as the children grew up; maybe it was easy, maybe not, the time was unpredictable; but it was the least he could do in memory of his brother.

"But first, let me fix those feathers," before starting to groom both babies. Huey knew about the process, having preened himself and his brothers for years, planting small kisses on the twins as his beak carefully ran over the yellow plumage.

Dumbella squirmed, a big smile lighting up her face and a laugh that made him fall in love more than he ever thought possible, until he felt small, weak attempts at kicks that led him to change of twin. Donald, on the other hand, seemed to calm down, babbling incessantly as he felt little wings on his face.

He didn't know what his brother had thought of preferring space when the brightest stars were in his arms, but he had never understood Dewford's mind anyway.

" _Sweet little stars, you have so much to see"_ the lullaby came out by inertia. His brother had sung it, hummed it, and whistled it so much that he was sure that even Uncle— Scrooge McDuck had it memorized. As if it were a reflection, both siblings looked at him, a reminiscent glow running through their eyes.

Huey didn't want to shed any more tears, but that didn't stop his eyes from glowing with homesickness when Dumbella gave her first yawn.

" _Life is strange and vast, full of wonders and dreams,"_ cooing at the twins, he started up the stairs. It felt different with the weight of the hatchlings, it _was_ different now that they had hatched because that did not prevent them from being fragile. If Donald curled up on his chest he didn't say something, or Dumbella chirping, he didn't know what would.

Huey allowed himself to smile warmly. He didn't know when he had been so happy — or maybe he had: the day he was accepted into the Woodchuck troop, but the point was understood.

" _Face each new sun, with eyes clear and true."_ He entered his room, where a huge diaper bag received him in his bed. "I'm sure you both enjoy being like this, but it's time to dress you up, you're clean after all."

He carefully laid the twins on the bed. Donald sucks his thumb, struggling against sleep; Dumbella wasn't even straining, a pair of wide eyes watching.

"What is it, aren't you sleepy?" He smiled at her, acknowledging the hints of his brother's messy order within it. He rolled his eyes, but that couldn't erase his warm smile as he reached for a pair of diapers, watching the twins out of the corner of his eye.

Sooner or later they had to learn to crawl, but he preferred to think about the now and take advantage of the fact that their newborn status kept them calm.

" _Unafraid of the unknown,"_ his nephew had already stopped struggling against exhaustion, and was already succumbing to sleep, the adult tenderly stroked his face. A small smile appeared on the duckling's face when he fell asleep. Dumbella was already beginning to blink sleepily, but she didn't seem ready to sleep.

Well, the stubbornness of the family was more noticeable in someone.

“ _Because I’ll face it all with you…”_

Before carefully kissing both foreheads, which seemed to let her niece fall asleep. They both seemed comfortable in his bed, and it wasn't like he was very willing not to sleep with them.

Huey knew that he should check with their pediatrician that they were fine after the interruption of Donald's hatching; they had to attend to him anyway to see that everything had turned out well and they had been born healthy.

But he already felt like the happiest duck in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> and the ducklings sleeping on huey's bed was the first photo of the first album. he would've loved taking it in their hatching but it couldn't happen bc Reasons.
> 
> but yeah, huey has a lot of photos of them. he hadn't obtained his photography badge for nothing. :)


End file.
